Nutrition away from Home

Many athletes spend time travelling, which can make healthy eating a challenge. 

Today's athletes often spend long periods away from home for training camps, competitions, or major championships.  Frequent travelling can present several challenges for athletes.

 
  1. Disruption of usual training and lifestyle
    • Athletes may need to adjust to various training schedules and locations as well as eating and sleeping at unusual times.  For example, high school students typically train after school between 3:30 and 10 p.m.  However, competitions often can start as early as 8 a.m. 
  2. Changes in climate and environment that result in different nutritional needs
    • In a warm environment, athletes may need to drink more frequently to stay hydrated.  Extreme heat or cold typically leads to an athlete feeling 'less' hungry.
  3. Jet lag
    • The body takes time to adjust to changes in time, and this can affect performance.  Your body will 'feel' it should be eating at certain times, for example, and depending upon the time change, this could mean feeling hungry at 3 a.m. but not at 1 p.m.
  4. Changes in food availability
    • Athletes tend to rely on familiar foods to prepare for competition, and these foods may not be available in another country or even a different part of the athletes' home country.
  5. Reliance on hotels, restaurants, and take-out
    • Restaurant food can be high in salt and fat, which can lead to stomach issues for athletes going into competition. 
  6. Exposure to new foods
    • New foods can be fun to try, but before a competition, athletes should stick to familiar foods.  The athlete never should try new food as a pre-event meal.
  7. Risk of gastrointestinal illness due to exposure to poor hygiene standards
    • Sometimes, concern about hygienic food-handling is significant.  Is the water safe to drink?  Have the fruits and vegetables been washed properly?  Have meats been stored and cooked properly?
  8. Excitement and distraction of a new environment
    • Nervousness can have a role in how an athlete is feeling before a competition.  This can lead to gastrointestinal discomfort, and some athletes may lose their appetites completely - and the body will lack fuel.



Keys to Eating Well while Travelling

Click the collapsible rows below for information.

  • Investigate food patterns and availability at your destination before you leave home.
  • Make an eating plan for travel that incorporates the best available food supplies.
  • Bring food from home with you; do not rely on the destination to provide food for you.

Suggestions for healthy eating in restaurants:

  • Substitute rice, pasta, or a baked potato for french fries to lower fat intake.

  • Pasta meals are great, but avoid cream sauces; go for the nutrient-dense tomato sauce instead. 

  • Ask for extra bread rolls, but skip the butter to lower fat intake.

  • Always order toast dry; use peanut butter and jam instead of butter.

  • At breakfast, avoid doughnuts, hash browns, bacon, and fried eggs; instead, have pancakes, poached eggs, cereals, fresh fruit, or low fat muffins.

  • Avoid tuna "salad" and chicken "salad" sandwiches; they tend to be packed with mayo, which has fat.

  • If you are sensitive to caffeine, order water, juice, or milk instead of coffee.

  • Avoid fried foods; better choices are foods that are baked, steamed, grilled, poached, broiled, or roasted, which tend to be lower in fat.

  • Skip the high-fat desserts; have yogurt and fruit or a decaf latte instead.


  • Find out if the local water is safe to drink.  If it's risky, stick to bottled water and other drinks or hot drinks.  Be wary of ice added to water; it is usually made from tap water. 
  • Avoid eating food from local stalls and markets.
  • Stick to food that has been well cooked, and avoid salads or unpeeled fruit that has been in contact with local water or soil.
  • Be wary of seafood if the area does not have fresh seafood.
  • When eating out, try to stick with ‘name brand’ restaurants and packaged foods with which you are familiar. 
  • Ask for recommendations from athletes or volunteers from the local area for the best (safest) places to eat.

  • Warm weather can be challenging, especially for the endurance athletes.  Those who normally live in cold climates need some time for heat acclimation before competing in major events held in a hot climate.
  • Athletes must learn how to adapt training and competition strategies when exposed to hot weather.
  • Modification of warm-up may be necessary as well as reduction of the amount of clothing worn to prevent overheating and excess sweat loss before the competition starts.
  • Extra fluids may be necessary.
  • Sports drinks contain calories; too much may upset the athlete's energy balance.  (This should be considered when developing an eating plan.)
  • Drink more frequently; reduce the time between drinks to avoid drinking too much at once.
  • During competition in warm venues, athletes need to be prepared and stay hydrated.
  • Warm or cold may diminish appetite; do not rely on feeling hungry to eat.  (Eat according to your plan!)



   Many of these strategies require athletes to experiment and find methods that work best for them.